Title: DoveLix
Post by: Proxima on February 05, 2014, 03:15:34 AM
Post by: Proxima on February 05, 2014, 03:15:34 AM
Dodochacalo's famous Lemmini set, DoveLems, is now available to play in Lix! 
This set requires the original terrain -- you can find information on installing the original terrain in the file "oldterr" in Lix's docs folder. (Rubix asked me in chat whether I was going to remake these levels in Lix terrain, and the answer is, I would love to, but it would be far too much work -- there are 124 levels and they are all intricately designed.)
22 levels turned out to be impossible as they stood, due to differences in gameplay mechanics. All these have been fixed, in whatever way I thought best for each individual level. I've also made two other global changes to the levels: (1) Lemmini has larger exit triggers, so some levels had an exit partially covered by terrain, such that it was meant to be enterable, but in Lix the terrain covers the entire trigger. All these have been fixed by moving the exits upwards, even if the level was still possible. It doesn't always look neat, but from a gameplay point of view I think it was the right decision. (2) Lix has fewer frames per second, so an equal time limit is effectively harsher in Lix. Only one level (Maso 29) was impossible just because of time limit, but some others became unnecessarily frustrating. On all levels with a time crunch (that is, less than 1/6 of time remaining) I increased the time limit by 1/6.
I made a few other changes to individual levels:
* On Plain 12, the staircase wasn't working because some terrain pieces had an odd x-coordinate, which meant that because of the way Lix reads hi-res graphics, some terrain pixels were effectively counting for two. I had to fix the staircase on the level's repeat as it was impossible to complete otherwise; so I fixed it on both levels. Other levels with similar problems were Plain 5, Maso 4 and Maso 27.
* Coward 24 is dependent on fake steel, which doesn't work in Lix. I decided to make the level completable but trivial, rather than leave it out altogether. After all, who knows whether someone playing this set might feel inspired by this level?
* Some levels have been updated and I was working from the earlier version of the levels. However, in the case of Devilish 14, I copied over the stats from the updated version, because in the earlier version, this level could be solved with the identical solution to the level it is a repeat of (Devilish 3).
* Devilish 18 is a three-entrance level, so lemmings should come out in the order A, B, C, B. I achieved this by duplicating the second entrance. I didn't do this on the other three-entrance levels (Plain 17 and Coward 27) as it doesn't make much difference there, so I preferred to keep the entrances in the more natural order A, B, C.
* Devilish 30 had a known backroute, which I fixed using a suggestion from Akseli. I don't see it as my business to fix backroutes on these levels (and playing them in Lix introduces unintended solutions on many levels, particularly because of the lack of one-way wall). But I felt I had to fix this one because the level is one of the hardest and most beautiful in the entire set.
* Maso 27 depends on bashing under fire traps. Unfortunately, L1's fire traps have trigger areas extending twelve pixels under the bottom of the visible object, because L1 hazards only trigger when the lemming's foot touches them, and the designers wanted this trap to look like it killed the lemmings when their heads touched the fire. In Lix, fire hazards kill lix if their foot or heat touches the trigger area, so even if I moved the traps up, the lix would be killed seemingly without touching the traps at all, and the player would have to guess what was a safe distance. To avoid this, I replaced all the fire traps with squishers -- the level requires 100%, so the squishers only killing one lix at a time doesn't create any new solutions.
I have not changed any levels in order to compensate for the absence of one-way walls or other features of Lix gameplay. That would have been too much work. This means that some levels intended to be difficult have ended up trivial... but some of the new solutions that are possible in Lix are interesting and were great fun to discover
This set requires the original terrain -- you can find information on installing the original terrain in the file "oldterr" in Lix's docs folder. (Rubix asked me in chat whether I was going to remake these levels in Lix terrain, and the answer is, I would love to, but it would be far too much work -- there are 124 levels and they are all intricately designed.)
22 levels turned out to be impossible as they stood, due to differences in gameplay mechanics. All these have been fixed, in whatever way I thought best for each individual level. I've also made two other global changes to the levels: (1) Lemmini has larger exit triggers, so some levels had an exit partially covered by terrain, such that it was meant to be enterable, but in Lix the terrain covers the entire trigger. All these have been fixed by moving the exits upwards, even if the level was still possible. It doesn't always look neat, but from a gameplay point of view I think it was the right decision. (2) Lix has fewer frames per second, so an equal time limit is effectively harsher in Lix. Only one level (Maso 29) was impossible just because of time limit, but some others became unnecessarily frustrating. On all levels with a time crunch (that is, less than 1/6 of time remaining) I increased the time limit by 1/6.
I made a few other changes to individual levels:
* On Plain 12, the staircase wasn't working because some terrain pieces had an odd x-coordinate, which meant that because of the way Lix reads hi-res graphics, some terrain pixels were effectively counting for two. I had to fix the staircase on the level's repeat as it was impossible to complete otherwise; so I fixed it on both levels. Other levels with similar problems were Plain 5, Maso 4 and Maso 27.
* Coward 24 is dependent on fake steel, which doesn't work in Lix. I decided to make the level completable but trivial, rather than leave it out altogether. After all, who knows whether someone playing this set might feel inspired by this level?
* Some levels have been updated and I was working from the earlier version of the levels. However, in the case of Devilish 14, I copied over the stats from the updated version, because in the earlier version, this level could be solved with the identical solution to the level it is a repeat of (Devilish 3).
* Devilish 18 is a three-entrance level, so lemmings should come out in the order A, B, C, B. I achieved this by duplicating the second entrance. I didn't do this on the other three-entrance levels (Plain 17 and Coward 27) as it doesn't make much difference there, so I preferred to keep the entrances in the more natural order A, B, C.
* Devilish 30 had a known backroute, which I fixed using a suggestion from Akseli. I don't see it as my business to fix backroutes on these levels (and playing them in Lix introduces unintended solutions on many levels, particularly because of the lack of one-way wall). But I felt I had to fix this one because the level is one of the hardest and most beautiful in the entire set.
* Maso 27 depends on bashing under fire traps. Unfortunately, L1's fire traps have trigger areas extending twelve pixels under the bottom of the visible object, because L1 hazards only trigger when the lemming's foot touches them, and the designers wanted this trap to look like it killed the lemmings when their heads touched the fire. In Lix, fire hazards kill lix if their foot or heat touches the trigger area, so even if I moved the traps up, the lix would be killed seemingly without touching the traps at all, and the player would have to guess what was a safe distance. To avoid this, I replaced all the fire traps with squishers -- the level requires 100%, so the squishers only killing one lix at a time doesn't create any new solutions.
I have not changed any levels in order to compensate for the absence of one-way walls or other features of Lix gameplay. That would have been too much work. This means that some levels intended to be difficult have ended up trivial... but some of the new solutions that are possible in Lix are interesting and were great fun to discover
Title: Re: DoveLix
Post by: RubiX on February 11, 2014, 03:39:56 AM
Post by: RubiX on February 11, 2014, 03:39:56 AM
Thanks for this.
I plan to start work on solving these sometime this week
I plan to start work on solving these sometime this week
Title: Re: DoveLix
Post by: Proxima on February 18, 2014, 06:24:13 PM
Post by: Proxima on February 18, 2014, 06:24:13 PM
Update:
After some more testing by Akseli, I've fixed odd x-coordinate problems on Coward 28, Devilish 9 and Devilish 19. All of these were solvable anyway, but fixing these problems makes the gameplay closer to Dodochacalo's intentions. The fix also makes it possible to save 48/50 on Devilish 19, which was possible in the original Lemmini version.
After some more testing by Akseli, I've fixed odd x-coordinate problems on Coward 28, Devilish 9 and Devilish 19. All of these were solvable anyway, but fixing these problems makes the gameplay closer to Dodochacalo's intentions. The fix also makes it possible to save 48/50 on Devilish 19, which was possible in the original Lemmini version.
Title: Re: DoveLix
Post by: Akseli on February 21, 2014, 10:49:02 PM
Post by: Akseli on February 21, 2014, 10:49:02 PM
Hey, I played the first upload through and gave some comments on IRC already, pretty nice work! 
Expectedly lots of levels are easier than they're supposed to be, mainly because of the absence of one-way walls and the fact that Proxima was working with a DoveLems copy from year 2011, that had some more backroutes in its levels. So, understandably all of the levels don't work as the author intended them to work. It's still a pretty damn formidable level set, and Proxima has done good job with it.
If you want to play DoveLems in its authentic way, get the pack for Lemmini from here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Dodochacalo/about
That's the place of the most updated versions of all Dodochacalo's level packs, and these days it also features the ini-files to play the packs properly in Lemmini.
There are some levels in DoveLems, where one-way walls don't affect the solutions remarkably. What I liked here, the absence of one-way walls was even a good thing because of aesthetic reasons and the fact that it helped to hide better the solutions!
Here's levels that differ most notably in Lix compared to Lemmini:
Plain 12: Don't Let Them Leave the Way – Is slightly easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Plain 14: Simple Life – Is slightly easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Plain 19: Yours Diabolically – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Plain 20: Wooden House – Is critically easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Plain 25: Scrub – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Plain 29: Papuan Mask – Is somewhat harder due to smaller Lix exit trigger areas.
Coward 3: Impolite Climbers – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Coward 6: Under the Floor – Is somewhat easier due to non-working traps.
Coward 8: Break the Wall – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Coward 9: Where a Lemming Has Never Gone – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Coward 15: Strato and Cumulus – Is somewhat easier both due to lack of one-way walls and backroutes of the old level version.
Coward 16: Trident of Fire – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Coward 28: Valley of Chameleons – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Coward 30: A Perfect Symmetry – Is somewhat easier both due to lack of one-way walls and backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 3: Bubble and Hot Bath – Is slightly easier due to the old level version.
Devilish 4: Lake Shore Paradise – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 6: In the Heart of the Pyramid – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Devilish 7: Steampunk – Is slightly easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Devilish 8: Stocked Lemmings – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Devilish 9: The Gravity Zero – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Devilish 10: The Eighth Wonder of the World – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 16: Lems Play Hide and Seek – Is actually better in Lix due to Lix (blocker) mechanics preventing backroutes!
Devilish 21: Pipeline of Lemming – Is critically easier both due to lack of owws and backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 25: The Way to Go Up – Is critically easier both due to lack of owws and backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 27: Don't Choose – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 28: Assault Course – Is slightly easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 6: A Kind of Camel – Is somewhat easier both due to lack of one-way walls and backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 12: Connect 4 - Is critically easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 14: Windy Coast – Is slightly easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 16: Complete Autarky – Is slightly easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Maso 17: The Crossing (Part III) – Is critically easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 18: Take A Step Ahead! – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 20: The Hatch – The intended solution doesn't work due to Lix (digger) mechanics.
Maso 23: The Motor Show – Is critically easier both due to lack of one-way walls and the old level version.
Maso 24: Smash Your Button ! – The intended solution doesn't work due to Lix (digger) mechanics.
Maso 25: I am A.T. III – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Maso 27: The Spring – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Maso 30: Pole Vaulting in Labyrinth Zone – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls, missing one-pixel gaps and non-workin traps.
Bonus 1: Pletorah's Temple – Is critically easier both due to lack of one-way walls and non-working traps.
Bonus 2: Only in the Footsteps of God – Is actually better in Lix because of Lix trap trigger areas (or more precisely Lix' hitbox) preventing backroutes!
Bonus 4: Desert of Molten Rocks – Is slightly easier due to backroutes caused by Lix (builder) mechanics.
Expectedly lots of levels are easier than they're supposed to be, mainly because of the absence of one-way walls and the fact that Proxima was working with a DoveLems copy from year 2011, that had some more backroutes in its levels. So, understandably all of the levels don't work as the author intended them to work. It's still a pretty damn formidable level set, and Proxima has done good job with it.
If you want to play DoveLems in its authentic way, get the pack for Lemmini from here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Dodochacalo/about
That's the place of the most updated versions of all Dodochacalo's level packs, and these days it also features the ini-files to play the packs properly in Lemmini.
There are some levels in DoveLems, where one-way walls don't affect the solutions remarkably. What I liked here, the absence of one-way walls was even a good thing because of aesthetic reasons and the fact that it helped to hide better the solutions!
Here's levels that differ most notably in Lix compared to Lemmini:
Plain 12: Don't Let Them Leave the Way – Is slightly easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Plain 14: Simple Life – Is slightly easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Plain 19: Yours Diabolically – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Plain 20: Wooden House – Is critically easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Plain 25: Scrub – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Plain 29: Papuan Mask – Is somewhat harder due to smaller Lix exit trigger areas.
Coward 3: Impolite Climbers – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Coward 6: Under the Floor – Is somewhat easier due to non-working traps.
Coward 8: Break the Wall – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Coward 9: Where a Lemming Has Never Gone – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Coward 15: Strato and Cumulus – Is somewhat easier both due to lack of one-way walls and backroutes of the old level version.
Coward 16: Trident of Fire – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Coward 28: Valley of Chameleons – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Coward 30: A Perfect Symmetry – Is somewhat easier both due to lack of one-way walls and backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 3: Bubble and Hot Bath – Is slightly easier due to the old level version.
Devilish 4: Lake Shore Paradise – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 6: In the Heart of the Pyramid – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Devilish 7: Steampunk – Is slightly easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Devilish 8: Stocked Lemmings – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Devilish 9: The Gravity Zero – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Devilish 10: The Eighth Wonder of the World – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 16: Lems Play Hide and Seek – Is actually better in Lix due to Lix (blocker) mechanics preventing backroutes!
Devilish 21: Pipeline of Lemming – Is critically easier both due to lack of owws and backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 25: The Way to Go Up – Is critically easier both due to lack of owws and backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 27: Don't Choose – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Devilish 28: Assault Course – Is slightly easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 6: A Kind of Camel – Is somewhat easier both due to lack of one-way walls and backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 12: Connect 4 - Is critically easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 14: Windy Coast – Is slightly easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 16: Complete Autarky – Is slightly easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Maso 17: The Crossing (Part III) – Is critically easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 18: Take A Step Ahead! – Is somewhat easier due to backroutes of the old level version.
Maso 20: The Hatch – The intended solution doesn't work due to Lix (digger) mechanics.
Maso 23: The Motor Show – Is critically easier both due to lack of one-way walls and the old level version.
Maso 24: Smash Your Button ! – The intended solution doesn't work due to Lix (digger) mechanics.
Maso 25: I am A.T. III – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Maso 27: The Spring – Is critically easier due to lack of one-way walls.
Maso 30: Pole Vaulting in Labyrinth Zone – Is somewhat easier due to lack of one-way walls, missing one-pixel gaps and non-workin traps.
Bonus 1: Pletorah's Temple – Is critically easier both due to lack of one-way walls and non-working traps.
Bonus 2: Only in the Footsteps of God – Is actually better in Lix because of Lix trap trigger areas (or more precisely Lix' hitbox) preventing backroutes!
Bonus 4: Desert of Molten Rocks – Is slightly easier due to backroutes caused by Lix (builder) mechanics.
Title: Re: DoveLix
Post by: Proxima on February 22, 2014, 12:45:54 AM
Post by: Proxima on February 22, 2014, 12:45:54 AM
Just to clarify, "non-working traps" in the above list refers to the fact that in Lix (like Lemmings) the needle trap is a single object with one trigger area, whereas in Lemmini, as I understand it, each spike is deadly.
I've updated the file again with the following corrections:
* Devilish 30: Restored the ice-blower, which was removed because it made the level impossible (see the discussion of fire objects under Maso 27). However, removing it completely allows a backroute (discovered by Clam) so I restored it at the lowest height that allows the lix to walk under it.
* Bonus 2 and 4: Fixed odd x-coordinate problems to make gameplay more authentic. Also removed the decorative flipped exit on Bonus 2 (flipped objects do not work in Lix, so it looked silly).
I've updated the file again with the following corrections:
* Devilish 30: Restored the ice-blower, which was removed because it made the level impossible (see the discussion of fire objects under Maso 27). However, removing it completely allows a backroute (discovered by Clam) so I restored it at the lowest height that allows the lix to walk under it.
* Bonus 2 and 4: Fixed odd x-coordinate problems to make gameplay more authentic. Also removed the decorative flipped exit on Bonus 2 (flipped objects do not work in Lix, so it looked silly).